Description
Founded in 1193, the Antonite monastery is of great importance to the history of Grünberg and was supported by the Thuringian landgrave. Until its dissolution in 1526, the monastery was very influential, especially in central Germany. The preserved monastery complex comprises a trapezoid between the B49, Marktgasse and Rosengasse. From the parking lot, you can see that the outer wall of the monastery rises above the city wall. Windows and a beautiful bay window have been preserved from the refectory. The transverse building in the south-west used to be the church, recognizable by the buttresses and the Gothic sacristy window. This part was converted into a storehouse and apartments in 1527. To the north-west, on the town wall, is the monks´ building, built in 1398, which originally extended beyond the outer walls. The building opposite, the actual "castle", as it has been called since its conversion after 1577, also contains many structural remains from monastic times, when it also served as a hospital. With the Reformation and the dissolution of the monasteries in 1526, it was converted into the widow´s residence of the Hessian landgrave by the then famous architect Eberth Baldewein. In the inner courtyard of the former Antonite monastery you will find, among other things, a high relief of St. Anthony and the coat of arms of a preceptor. When you leave the inner courtyard, you will see the former stables of the monastery diagonally opposite. Today it houses the Volksbank.
